Future Dreams and Foregone Schemes
by Twilight Dusk
Summary: XMen/Yugioh X-over Mokuba tricked Bakura and Malik into teaching him shadow magic. They thought all they had to worry about was Kaiba or Yugi finding out. They certainly weren't expecting to show up on a computer in New York. ON HIATUS PENDING REWRITE!
1. The Cause

Future Dreams and Foregone Schemes  
By Twilight Dusk

Summary: When Mokuba tricked Bakura, Malik, and Ryou into giving him some lessons on shadow magic, they thought they only had to worry about Seto or the Pharaoh finding out. They certainly weren't expecting to show up on a computer in Bayville.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine. Kyoko is mine! So is Bakura and Ryou's nickname.

Universal Warnings:  
Timeline, What Timeline? - Um, Apocalypse, Friends of Humanity hasn't happened yet, but the X-Men's ages are probably off. I'm not changing that, I need them to be the ages I give them. The story starts immediately after Mainstream, Target X has already happened, and X23 chose to stay with Logan. In Yu-Gi-Oh verse, it's three years after Duelist Kingdom- we're assuming everything else has already happened. Ages are again, probably off and I'm not changing.

Non-Homicidal Wanda- Okay, one piece of background info. In my story, Destiny is friends with Agatha Harkness, so Agatha taught Wanda how to control her anger along with her powers. She's slightly saner (slightly), and she still wants Magneto dead, she's just smart enough to hide it- therefore, Toad, Witch, and Wardrobe never happens. Otherwise she's normal.

Pairings: ROMY, JONDA, KIOTR, TABIETRO, KURMANDA, ANGELOCKE, KUROUxKYOKO (OC), OTHERS TO COME LATER

Age Guide:  
Angel, Psylocke-25  
Isis Ishtar- 24  
Gambit-22  
Colossus, Rishid Ishtar, Sage- 20  
Pyro, Avalanche, Ryou Bakura, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Kyoko Lore, (OC)- 19 Sort of Forge  
Rogue, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Boom-Boom, Malik Ishtar, Anzu, Otogi Ryuuji- 18  
Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Amanda Sefton, Blob, Toad, Iceman, Yugi Mutou- 17  
Magma, Sunspot, Jubilee, Seto Kaiba- 16  
Cannonball, Wolfsbane- 15  
Multiple, Mokuba Kaiba, X23- 14  
Prof. X, Magneto- 60+  
Storm, Hank, Forge- 40+  
Mastermind-53  
Mystique, Logan, Sabretooth- Who Knows?

Chapter Warnings: Bakura/Ryou X OC, Wicked!Ryou,  
Japanese Translations  
Yadonushi -landlord  
niisan or nii -older brother   
kun -denotes a male friend of the same rank  
chan -used for kids and girls it means little, when Ryou uses it, he means little, when Bakura uses it, he means little girl,  
koi- means love, short for koishii  
gaki-ma – gaki means brat, ma- means demon, demon-brat

Baka- stupid, in 'Kura's case it refers to Jounouchi

Please Review, flames will be used to keep Pyro entertained, and now our feature presentation

CH.1- The Cause

DOMINO CITY, JAPAN

My Kyokoi,  
Everyone knows a bored thief is a dangerous thief. But I assure you, far more dangerous is said bored thief, egged on by his ex-bandit best friend and irritating, acquiescing host, being tricked into teaching a cajoling, manipulative mischievous, blackmailing, bribing, little brat shadow magic. I, who stole from the Pharaoh himself, reduced to teaching Mokuba Kaiba card tricks. That brat is far too manipulative for his own good. One of these days someone will cotton on to the mind hiding behind that "innocent" brat-face. Someone other than me, of course. I figured it out from the beginning. I just had no real reason to fight it. You dare doubt me, Notorious Thief King Bakura?! Ammemait's Breath, I sound like a card from the Baka's deck. Bloody Pharaoh. I like the sound of that. It's all his fault, him and the high priest… BAD MENTAL IMAGES!! AHH! MY HEAD, MY HEAD! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS RYOU!

That got rid of him. Half a moment. I can still hear you 'Kura-niisan. Right, don't listen to anything he said, Kyokoi. Mokuba's not that bad. Well- most of the time he isn't anyway. He did blackmail and bribe 'Kura-nii, Malik, and I into teaching him to use shadow magic, but his means were certainly tamer than 'Kura-nii's standard. He's just angry because it worked. Besides, it isn't like we haven't been encouraging such stunts at every turn. It was fair brilliant, actually. He pestered us until 'Kura-niisan agreed just to shut him up. Then he threatened to tell Seto-kun and Yami-kun, if we didn't keep the bargain. Then, he offered to buy us new knives to thank us for teaching him. Excellent use of badgering, blackmail, and bribery techniques. He's coming along nicely. Teaching him shadow magic shouldn't be that bad. 'Kura-nii's furious because Malik managed to weasel out of doing most of the teaching by offering to find Mokuba-chan a focus. In any case, it's about time we went to meet them.  
Aishiteru Kyoko,  
Ryou  
I love you, my Kyokoi,  
Bakura

P.S. I got a chance to review those drawings you sent me. They were fantastic. You should talk to your friend, what's her name, Betsy about getting started. I'm sure she can help you. I've really got to run now; at the risk of sounding like an American, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Tomorrow, Kyokoi,

Kurou

SEND

"Yadonushi," Bakura growled materializing next to Ryou, and promptly banging his elbow on the door. Largely due to the fact that Kaiba Corp.'s marketing department was still dragging its heels on the production of Monster Wars, Ryou could not afford a spacious apartment. The apartment he could afford was basically a closet with a bed and a desk, a bigger closet with room for TV, table, and cushions, and a kitchen.

"Yes, Kura-niisan?" Ryou answered calmly, turning from the computer to his Yami. Three years had softened the ancient thief and strengthened the quiet, hesitant, and naïve boy-host into a confidant, cynical, master thief, albeit a soft-spoken one. He knew he no longer need fear the Thief King, and could hold his own against his yami in any case. The two argued constantly, fought for control, and sabotaged each other, but, as Malik often mentioned, thereby causing knives to fly at his head, they were partners now. (Ryou and Bakura would never use the word partners to describe themselves; it's the word Yugi and Yami use.) Brothers describes it better. Ryou even calls Bakura 'Kura-niisan.' Their girlfriend, Kyoko Lore, insists the two are simply halves of a whole and refers to them as Kurou. Sometimes, it can be hard to tell which is which.

"What, in Ra's name, did I do to deserve that?" he spat at Ryou, shuddering.

"Deserve what?" Ryou inquired innocently. "Although whatever it is, I'd say random knife wounds, sealing my friends' souls, and torture cover the deserving part," he added thoughtfully. He can even joke about that now. Bakura tries not to wince. He hasn't completely put it behind him, but he presses on.

"You put a fuc-" Ryou cut him off.

"I didn't go that far, they were only kissing." Ryou drawled, amused by Bakura's indignant outrage.

"Only kissing! You call that only! It was damn disgusting. The Pharaoh and the High Priest frenching! UGH! That imagination of yours is too damn vivid for your own good! One of these days you are going to get us into trouble, and that's my JOB!" he ranted into his host's smile.

"Are you finished, Kura-nii? We're going to be late for Mokuba-chan's lesson." Bakura sulked.

"It was easier when you were afraid," he grumbled without meaning it. "Serve the gaki-ma right anyway, stupid little- Hey! Ryou!" The spirits of the millennium items can't really go more than 3 meters or so from their items or their hosts. Unfortunately for Bakura, Ryou and the Ring he was wearing had just walked out the apartment's front door. Being pulled through a wall is not a pleasant sensation. "Yadonushi!" By this point, Bakura's voice had been reduced to a sort of semi-threatening whine. Ryou just smirked and headed down the stairs, incidentally dragging his yami through the floor.

Ryou took pity on Bakura and stopped on the street long enough for the Thief to catch up. Said thief, after reattaching the chain and several fairly important wires, kicked their bike into gear and, with a wicked grin, proceeded to avenge his discomfort on his host. Ryou liked the motorcycle. When driving he could even be persuaded to perform a few stunts. What he didn't like was the way Bakura drove it, which involved convincing every cop in Tokyo to chase them. The cops can't really be blamed for this, since Bakura usually started the chases by popping a wheelie on a police car's roof. It seemed the thief couldn't go anywhere without irritating somebody, and if his favorite targets weren't available, (Yugi, Yami, Seto) he made up for it by spreading and enlarging the irritation.

"Of course," Bakura laughed; he'd been eavesdropping on his host's speculation. "Irritating the Pharaoh and the Priest's reincarnation is an art form. This-" he said, simultaneously lifting a hand to take in the sirens, shouts, and multilingual curses (especially the curses) and revved the bike taking them over a cop car, under a clothes line, and onto a second story balcony. Ryou banged his head against the door of his soul room. From the balcony, the Thief King took the bike on a convoluted route which included: three semi-trucks, two more police cars, a pedestrian overpass, another balcony, and four Kaiba Corp. limos (Including one containing Seto who completely ignored the thud in favor of his laptop. He knew perfectly well who it was. Seto knew his driver wouldn't react either; he'd fired four chauffeurs before he'd found one who would ignore the eccentricities of his master's _definitely not friends_. No Japanese drivers qualified; he'd had to hire one from London), but somehow managed to completely miss the road. Ryou sighed.

"Is it really necessary to arrange for every cop in the city to chase us?" he asked Bakura.

"No, just the female ones," he replied, reaching up to unbutton the top two buttons of his shirt and raising his visor to wink at the female motorcycle cop approaching them. She blinked, gawked, and fell behind. Ryou just shook his head.

"Kura-nii, we are going to be late- no we are late, and I'm fairly certain that last limo was Seto-san's Will you please lose the cops and take us to meet Mokuba-chan already?" Ryou demanded.

"Lose the cops?" Bakura repeated, a slow wicked smile spreading across his face. "I can do that."

"Oh no, Bakura, please don't."

"Too late, Yadonushi, you asked for it." He sent the bike into a slide, bringing their body nearly parallel to the ground, enabling them to slip under the bridge's guard rail. The harbor bridge's guard rail.

"Kid, don't!" Bakura laughed maniacally as the cop tried to follow him and grab him before he went over. He failed. Bakura and the bike tumbled downward through the air, plunging straight into the shadow realm. The darkness wrapped around them just before the bike hit the water. Unscathed, the thieves continued their journey, one smirking and one cussing.

"Pillock. I hate heights. And that poor cop's going to have a mental breakdown when he sees us on the road tomorrow. Besides, you know the shadow realm adds at least five-hundred miles worth of wear and tear to the bike. I always have to retool the wiring after a trip through here," Ryou complained between cuss words.

"Stop whining, Ahou. If you'd just gold plate the wiring, it wouldn't be a problem. Did you see the look on that guys face?"

"You do know how much gold plate costs, right?"

"Are you a thief or not?"

"Bakura!"

"What?" Neither paid much attention to their surroundings. The shadow realm welcomed them. Bakura was as much a part of the shadow realm as he was its master. Therefore, he could, and did, use the realm as an express way. Their bickering gradually subsided as they continued, and Bakura ceded control to Ryou as they left the shadow realm and drove the last few minutes to their destination

He spent the time gleefully replaying his memory of the chase scene on his soul room's television. The SMRP ( Soul-based Memory Recorder and Player) had been Ryou's innovation. He'd snuck the recorder into the thief's soul room, a fairly simple task; the thief preferred to spend as little time in there as possible. He didn't want to remember. Ryou had thought to use it to find out what his yami was up to and fill in the irritating gaps in his memory. It didn't work as well as Ryou would have liked. If Bakura was really concentrating on keeping Ryou out, the memory disks were password protected. When the two had essentially declared truce, Ryou had set one up in his own room and showed Bakura how to work it. In return, Bakura had given Ryou the password, Rena. The word resonated in the ancient thief's mind; it was written on a silk screen in every language he knew, but he had no idea why it was important to him.

At the moment, however, Bakura wasn't particularly concerned with his wall hanging. He was far more interested in watching the female cop gawk at him. Who cared about a mysterious word, or the fact that they'd arrived at the meeting place or that both Malik Ishtar and Mokuba Kaiba were glaring at his host?

And they were glaring. Mokuba's glare was a study in irritation, while Malik's was frozen halfway between amusement and annoyance, but they were both glaring.

"You're late, Ryou," Malik observed semi-cheerfully. "I got here ten minutes ago." Ah, the reason for the glare. Ryou winced. Malik loathed waiting, which is why he always arrived late.

"I'm really very sorry, Malik. The parasite insisted on prolonging the chase until we'd hit Seto-san's limo." Malik's eyes gleamed with cruel mirth. In his mind, and in Bakura's for that matter, irritating the priest's reincarnation was one of the reasons for their existence.

"Forgiven," he said with a grin. Behind him, Mokuba gave a slightly derisive laugh.

"Didn't do you much good this time did it?" he smirked. "Seto's new driver is from London," he informed Ryou smugly. That roused Bakura from his entertainment.

"What?! That's-" he trailed off. He was supposed to irritate Seto Kaiba, not the other way around, and there is nothing more irritating to a prankster than being ignored. London chauffeurs and taxi drivers did not react. The thief had spent enough time trying to cause havoc in his host's home city to know that. He retreated to sulk in his soul room, muttering. Now it was Ryou's turn to glare.

"You didn't have to tell him that, Mokuba-chan," he said mildly. Mokuba's eyes flashed slightly at the epithet, which was the reaction Ryou had intended. Luckily for Mokuba's mental well-being, he chose to eschew the argument in favor of getting on with the lesson. He carefully pulled two sets of very nice, very practical, and very, very sharp daggers from his messenger bag and handed them to Malik and Ryou.

"There," he said quickly, hoping to avert Ryou's ire. "Now can we get on with the whole teaching me shadow magic thing. Malik and Ryou traded glances, then slid the knives into boots and belt respectively.

"Fine by us, Mokuba-chan," Ryou acknowledged, smiling irritatingly at the younger teen. He turned, "Malik?" The blond grinned, holding up something that glinted in the sun's rays.

"Right here." He tossed it at Mokuba's head, fast. The target ducked instinctively, but also brought his left hand up to catch the gleaming missile. He felt the heavy weight and smooth texture of well-worked gold. Malik explained, "You don't need an Item to use shadow magic, but you do need a focus, and it has to be gold. Other metalsc don't hold up so well in the realm. Today's your lucky day; that's one of Saifkhan's toys. Isis found it and gave it to me before I got the rod," he said of the golden armband in Mokuba's hands.

Mokuba slipped it on; it reformed and resized itself to fit both his arm and his style, becoming alternately spiky and smooth along the edges. "Whoa. Who's Saifkhan?" he asked, looking up at them.

"Sajirek Saifkhan and his father, Rami, made the Items. Sajirek finished the item after Rami died. He didn't like the way the Items were made, but at that point he couldn't do anything about it. He'd have died had he refused to continue. He spent years afterward trying to find another way to make powerful shadow focuses. Sajirek was the best smith-mage Egypt ever saw," Malik answered knowledgably. Ryou eyed him curiously.

"How do you know so much about him?" he asked. Ryou had heard Bakura curse Saifkhan more than once, but the Thief did not actually remember who the man was. He just remembered that the he deserved cursing.

Malik shrugged, answering, "The warrens where Isis, Rishid, and I lived used to be the Forgemaster's quarters. I think my room used to be the Smith's. I found journals that I'm pretty sure are his, not to mention some of the toys. Anyway, Mokuba-chan, the focus allows you to direct your will. Basically, without it, unless you're Bakura, the shadows won't even hear you, much less obey you." Ryou took up from where Malik left off, not giving Mokuba a chance to ask about Malik's qualifier.

"The easiest thing to do with shadow magic is summon. It's also the only thing you'll be learning for now."

"But-"

"You don't have an item; you aren't technically of the royal line; you didn't grow up with the history and the magic; you've little knowledge of the gods; summoning is enough for now, understood?"

"For now- yes."

"Ambitious little brat, aren't you?" Malik laughed, "Take it away, 'Kura. Ryou. Whichever one of you two wins the rock paper scissors game you're currently playing in your soul corridor." He laughed at the expression on Ryou's face as the blank look- They had been playing Rock Paper Scissors- faded to a glare.

"Alright Mokuba-chan, first, we're going to see if you have the presence of mind to concentrate in the shadow realm. You won't actually need to go there to summon,"

"You won't be able to," Malik interjected.

"True enough. You do need to know what its like though, and it's easier to summon in the realm than in this world. Do you have a particular monster in mind? Some card that you have a preference for or that suits your personality? Not the Blue Eyes, by the way. She won't enjoy being summoned by anyone but Seto." Mokuba began flipping through his deck. Malik raised an eyebrow as the brat did so. He'd never seen Mokuba's deck before and hadn't realized that the kid had taken the best from everyone else's deck. He had, for example, both a Blue Eyes White Dragon and a Dark Magician. His deck also contained Toon World, Pegasus' apology. The flipping slowed as Mokuba reached the middle of the deck. At last, he stopped, pulling out Mefist the Infernal General.

"Will this do?" he asked, showing them the card. Ryou smiled. It did fit the boy's personality, he supposed.

"Yes, now then, be ready." That was Mokuba's only warning as Ryou took all three of them to the shadow realm. The realm wrapped around them gleefully. Mokuba looked around him in combined apprehension and amazement. He'd never before been there while conscious. Malik was hardly going to give him time to think. If summoning was going to be any use to him, he needed to be able to summon quickly, regardless of distractions.

"Think fast, Mokuba-chan. EXARION UNIVERSE!" Mokuba flinched as the monster came into being. His thoughts backed away, luckily his body wasn't listening to them. His hand grasped the card firmly, backing it with two fingers and flipping it to face Malik's warrior. His feet spread themselves apart, bracing his body for the force of the summon. The armband glowed as he concentrated on bringing the card to life.

"MEFIST THE INFERNAL GENERAL!" The general appeared with the smell of sandalwood, holding out one of his twin swords to block Exarion's attack. Mokuba nearly stumbled in his awe. "I did it! I summoned Mefist! Thanks Ryou-sensei!" Ryou and Malik's jaws dropped; it was the only time they'd ever heard Mokuba be polite to one of them. Malik recovered fast.

"They're equal. Congratulations Mokuba, you've created a stalemate," he drawled. "Call him off; I'll do the same for Exarion."

"Now we'll see if you can do that on earth," Ryou added, returning them to green grass and blue skies. The lesson continued as soon as they got back. Mokuba took two tries to summon Mefist outside the shadow realm, but after was able to summon Rogue Doll, Mysterious Puppeteer, and Toon World without much trouble. Bakura smashed him in a quick practice shadow duel, the prize being 500 yen, which greatly improved the spirit's mood and Mokuba's summoning skills. As they left, they did so thinking no one knew. Only Bakura's rightful paranoia had any suspicion that someone knew what they were up to. Even his well-honed instincts, however, merely attributed the feeling of watching to Mokuba's bodyguards and Seto Kaiba's paranoia. Had they known the watcher's identity, it would be hard to say who would be more shocked. As it stood, that prize went in a landslide to Professor Charles Xavier, with the Cerebro.

BAYVILLE, NEW YORK

Forge fidgeted with apprehensive excitement as the Professor lifted Cerebro's helmet interface off and rested it in its cradle. The second the Professor turned to face him however, Forge's reticence went out the window. "Did the new features work, Professor? I'm sure I got the power boost right, but I couldn't test the age features." Only Forge's hippie nature kept him from bouncing up and down like an excited child or Kitty or Kurt. Professor Xavier smiles. Forge should by all rights, be Storm's age, but because of his time in Middleverse, Forge's adult intelligence alternated with the emotions of a teen.

"It worked very well, Forge. As a matter of fact, I believe I have found three new students."

"Really Professor?"

"Indeed, Forge." He wheeled away from Cerebro's console and headed for the door. "The older two seem to have quite a bit of control over the power already. I believe they are helping the younger one to master his powers. I believe the older two have powers of the mind, I could sense their energies, but they flickered and I could not enter their minds at all. No, Forge, I am certain it is due to the boys' power and no fault of your components. You may judge for yourself when you meet them." He added as they left Cerebro and headed for the Professor's office. The look on Forge's face sent him into maniacal laughter in the privacy of his mind. Being a closet sadist was necessary personality trait for a teacher.

"Me, Professor?! Why?" Xavier paused, as though evaluating Forge. He gave the inventor a rather piercing look, opened his mouth to answer, and promptly shut it.

"You'll have to wait until the briefing Forge; I have to call the others, and I'd rather not repeat myself." //** X-men, we have a new mission. Gather in my office. Rogue, please bring Jamie with you. **//

Rogue was understandably a bit surprised by the Professor's request. Jamie was the youngest of the students at the mansion and had never really been included in anything before. It wasn't that she minded the tyke. Jamie was rather restful. He respected her, came to her for advice, and didn't try to lecture her the way so many others in the mansion did. Still, the inclusion of Jamie into a mission briefing was… disconcerting. She shrugged, set her book down, tugged on her gloves, and headed to Jamie's room. The mission couldn't be that dangerous if the Professor was letting Jamie come with. Not that she was worried about him or anything like that.

"Hey squirt, homework's over. The Prof wants to see us in his office," she called, opening his door and sticking her head in. Jamie yelped, attempting to quickly hide his notebook from Rogue. Piqued, she leaned over and snatched it out of his hands. "Well, well, well. I didn't know you could draw this good, Squirt." Jamie blushed, not because of the compliment, but because the drawing was of Kitty.

"Give that back, Rogue," he pleaded, lunging at it. She danced out of his way, laughing.

"I ain't done lookin' yet," she replied, grinning at him. The pajama-clad miniature seventh-grader was doing his best to glare a hole through Rogue's head as she flipped through his sketchbook. Nearly all the drawings were of Kitty, though there was also one of her, one of Logan, and one of Kurt. She hadn't been lying when she'd said they were good either.

"Rogue, please," Jamie begged, resorting to the puppy-dog look. He was getting a bit too old to use the deadly weapon properly, but his lack of height helped immensely. She smiled and held it out to him. He snatched it back, saying, "You better not tell Kitty."

Rogue's warm laugh filled the room. "If I told her I wouldn't have anything to tease you about, Squirt. Now, get dressed, Professor X wants ya at the mission briefing." Jamie's jaw dropped.

"I get to go on a mission, really, Rogue?" Jamie dashed to his dresser, grabbed a t-shirt, jeans, and socks and ducked into the bathroom to change. Whoever designed the mansion had been smart enough to include suite style bathrooms.

"I ain't sure, Squirt. All I know is he asked me to bring you with."

"If we get paired up on the mission, can we be Rogue Squadron?" Jamie asked with a grin.

"Two people's a little light for a squadron. You can be Luke Skywalker, though," she teased back.

"And you'll be Princess Leia. Hmm. I bet we could get that Gambit guy to play Han Solo for you," he tossed over his shoulder as he took off running down the hall. Rogue blushed furiously. How the hell did the brat figure that out?

"Get back here, Jamie!" she growled, chasing after him. If she did get paired up with that brat on the mission, she'd see if she couldn't find a nice, scummy pond to drop him in.

Jamie realized soon afterwards that irritating Rogue wasn't necessarily the world's smartest idea. Sprinting through the hallways without watching where you were going was another thing that wasn't really on the good list. Finally, Jamie realized that careening into Wolverine was going to hurt, badly, and not just literally.

"Alright, Squirts, whose brilliant idea was it to go running through the halls? Somethin' tryin' to kill ya?" he growled. Jamie contemplated suicide. It had to be infinitely better than A) Death by Wolverine B) Death by Rogue C) Death by both of them or D) Utter Humiliation. Actually, utter humiliation didn't really sound that bad compared to choices A, B, or especially C.

"Just Rogue, sir," he mumbled. Logan smirked. Rogue was definitely a good enough reason to be running away.

"So what did you do to deserve it? Never mind. Pull yourselves together and head in. The Prof wants to start the brief." Rogue came around the corner at full speed, but since she possessed considerably better agility than Jamie, she stopped before she barreled into Logan. He nodded, satisfied; he was the X-sensei after all. Still blushing, Rogue grabbed Jamie's shoulder and propelled him into the office. She'd get him later. Now she needed to know what this was all about.

Professor Xavier smiled faintly as Rogue and Jamie entered the room and Logan closed the door behind them. "X-Men, we have a new mission. While testing Cerebro's new upgrade, I sensed three powerful and unusual mutants. What's more, the two older boys have not only gotten some control over their powers, they have been helping the youngest to gain some control over his. I believe these three would be very valuable additions to the Institute. You are here because from what I gleaned from the youngest's mind, they and their families are both extremely paranoid and extremely skeptical. I believe that having people the same age as these boys will help ease their suspicions. The older members of the team will serve to reassure the boys' guardians. However, from our experiences with Rogue, I 've realized the full team can be somewhat overwhelming. Therefore, a seven-person team will be going. Logan and Storm will be in charge. Scott, Jean, Rogue, Forge, and Jamie will accompany them."

Kurt, disappointed in the fact that he was not going, piped up. "Vhy them, Professor. I'm friendly. I won't pull any pranks or anything. The fuzzy dude can make anyone feel velcome."

"Because of your age, Kurt. The oldest of the boys is nineteen, the next oldest is eighteen, and the youngest is thirteen," he answered simply.

"Oh, so that's why Jamie gets to go, right? 'Cause he's, like, the same age as one of them."

"Precisely, Kitty. Rogue and Scott shall partake in this mission for the same reasons. Logan and Ororo will go as valid representatives of the school; Forge will go because the youngest's guardian is very skeptical about things that aren't explained by science and technology, and Jean has the safest and most impressive demonstratable power. Also, Logan and Rogue speak Japanese."

"Whoa, they're like in Japan!"

"Exactly."

"Do we have any ideah what their powers are, Professor? And, just so ya know, my accent's atrocious."

"I was able to determine that the older boys have some sort of mental powers, but the youngest's remain a complete mystery. Any more questions?"

"I got one, Chuck. What are all these people's names?" Logan drawled from his corner.

"My mistake. The boys are Ryou Bakura, age 19, Malik Ishtar, age 18, and Mokuba Kaiba, age 13. Mr. Bakura is his own guardian, I believe. Mr. Ishtar's guardian is his sister, Isis and Mr. Kaiba's guardian is his older brother, Seto Kaiba."

"Wait. Seto Kaiba as in Kaiba Corp. CEO Seto Kaiba?" Beast's tone was almost awestruck.

"I'm not sure, Hank, why?" Professor Xavier looked puzzled.

"Good luck convincing that one, Logan. Seto Kaiba is, without a doubt, the richest, most intelligent, and most skeptical sixteen year old in existence, and if Mokuba and his friends are half as smart as Seto Kaiba, you're going to have your hands full."

"Thanks for the warning, Hank. That all, Chuck?"

"It is. X-Men, move out."


	2. The Effect

Future Dreams and Foregone Schemes  
By Twilight Dusk

Summary: When Mokuba tricked Bakura, Malik, and Ryou into giving him some lessons on shadow magic, they thought they only had to worry about Seto or the Pharaoh finding out. They certainly weren't expecting to show up on a computer in Bayville.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine. Kyoko is mine! So is Bakura and Ryou's nickname.

Age Guide:  
Angel, Psylocke-25  
Isis Ishtar- 24  
Gambit-22  
Colossus, Rishid Ishtar, Sage- 20  
Pyro, Avalanche, Ryou Bakura, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Kyoko Lore, (OC)- 19 Sort of Forge  
Rogue, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Boom-Boom, Malik Ishtar, Anzu, Otogi Ryuuji- 18  
Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Amanda Sefton, Blob, Toad, Iceman, Yugi Mutou- 17  
Magma, Sunspot, Jubilee, Seto Kaiba- 16  
Cannonball, Wolfsbane- 15  
Multiple, Mokuba Kaiba, X23- 13  
Prof. X, Magneto- 60  
Storm, Hank, Forge- 40  
Mastermind-53  
Mystique, Logan, Sabretooth- Who Knows?

Chapter Warnings-

KurouXKyoko, Seto Kaiba (Yes, he deserves a warning all to himself. He uses big words!), Language Barrier, Brit Slang, Bold for emphasis, Italics for sarcasm, JOTT

Japanese Translations-  
Otousan/Tousan- means father the O on the front is a sign of respect. Ryou has almost no respect for his father; therefore he doesn't use it.  
Gaki-ma- Demon Brat (Mokuba)  
Koi- short for Koishii, means love  
Daijoubu Ka?- Are you alright?/ How are you?  
Daijoubu- Fine/ Alright/ OK  
Ja ne- Goodbye  
-nii- short for niisan, means older brother  
Oniisan- respected older brother  
Watashi wa Rogue desu- My name is Rogue.  
-san- mister  
-kun- friend (male)  
sensei- teacher(s) Japanese does not have a plural form.  
Otouto, little brother

Please Review, flames will be used to provide a snazzy background for Magneto's cheesy world domination speeches, and now our feature presentation.

Ch.2- The Effect

DOMINO CITY, JAPAN

"Welcome to your Sprint PCS Voicemail. You have one new message. BEEP First Message. 'Hey Ryou, It's Otousan. You'll never guess what I found on this latest dig. I may well- BEEP Message Deleted. You have no new messages." THUD! Ryou's cell phone slammed into the wall behind his bed. His fist followed it.

"Just once, Tousan, could your stupid messages be about something else. The only time you ever acted fatherly was when you sent me the damn Ring," he muttered, collapsing on the bed himself.

"It's time to D-d-d-duel!" Thank Ra for identifying ring tones.

"Not in the mood, Yugi." Ryou ignored the phone. "Give up and call Jounouchi or have phone sex with Anzu."

"At least it's not with the high priest this time," Bakura observed from the doorway, trying to get a smirk or a laugh from his host.

"Not in the mood for you either," Ryou replied coldly, turning away from his darker half. Bakura watched him silently for a while, wondering how upset Ryou would be if he sealed 'their' father into an answering machine. Reluctantly, he let that idea go. Despite the man's neglect, Ryou still cared for him. Bakura settled for distracting his host now and getting revenge later. The jerk was in the states anyway.

"We need to leave for the gaki-ma's lesson soon. Unless of course, you want me to kill Malik when he attacks us for being late again." Bakura winced. Damn Ryou, anyway. He'd almost sounded conscientious. Torturing Mokuba Kaiba would do them both some good. Ryou didn't so much as blink, staring at his cell phone as though it held the answers to life's mysteries.

"You'll thank me for this later, Ryou," Bakura told his host quietly as he returned to the Millennium Ring and took control of their body. After pocketing the cell phone, he left their apartment. Reaching the street, he passed up their bike. It might make them a little late, but what did he care if the gaki-ma had to wait a while. The walk would give him a chance to bring Ryou out of this mood. About a minute in to the walk, Bakura flipped open the cell phone and began dialing long distance.

"Ting-and-a Ting-a Ting-e a-BRRINNNGG! Hello Moto!" Out of habit, Bakura scowled at the greeting.

"I though I was Kurou. Mutou's the Pharaoh. Should I be concerned, Kyokoi?" he teased half-heartedly.

"Nah," Kyoko replied, laughing. "That tri-colored hair thing just doesn't do it for me. There's something so mature about a white-haired man."

"Are you calling me old?!"

"Well, technically, you're both nineteen and three thousand. Even if you split the difference, you're still one thousand five hundred nine and a half, m'dear. That's bloody old to most people, Love. Now, what's so important you'll call me long distance? Just couldn't wait to hear my dulcet tones again, right?" Bakura sobered, remembering his host's predicament.

"That'd certainly be enough reason to call, koi, but not today. Ryou's father left a message on our cell phone. Typical bullshit. He didn't say a word about Ryou other than his name. Ryou's-"

"In a funk," she finished for him. "Right, put him on, Bakura, and don't let him hang up." Bakura did just that, forcing Ryou out of his soul room with a violence. He himself took a seat on the couch in Ryou's soul room and hoped Kyoko could pull Ryou out of this. It was his job to be in a bad mood. Not to mention, when Ryou got like this, his normal standards of conscience and conscientiousness didn't apply. Right now, Bakura knew, Ryou wouldn't care if he fed the Pharaoh's soul to Ammemait. He settled back to listen, keeping control of both their right hand and their legs, so Ryou had no choice but to talk to Kyoko.

"Hey Ryou, Daijoubu ka?" Kyoko tested to see if he'd lie straight off.

"Bakura called you, didn't he, Kyoko. Daijoubu," he replied wearily, knowing she'd call him on it.

"Liar. He's worried about you. Try again, love, Daijoubu ka?" Ryou tried to hang up, but found that his right arm wouldn't move.

"Maybe he is. I'm fine, Kyoko," he asserted.

"You are not. You feel like shit because your '_father'_ called to ignore you yet again. Of course he is."

"If you already knew, why did you ask?"

"Because you needed me to do so."

"He asked you to ask."

"That doesn't invalidate my point, Ryou. Who would know better than him?"

"I would."

"Not right now, you don't."

"Koi, I'll e-mail you about it later."

"Are you going to be stalking around like Kaiba all day?"

"Hey, I am not stalking around like Kaiba!"

"Sharp tongue, sharp temper, hating the world, what don't you two have in common?"

"Starch.1" She laughed. After a while, he joined in. "Thanks, Kyoko. That helped."

"I'll be the judge of that. Daijoubu ka?"

"I'm not alright, but I'll get there."

"Ja ne, love."

"Bye." Bakura materialized in front of Ryou with an indignant look masking his concern.

"Starch is the only thing we don't have in common with him?!"

"Well, you have the arrogance and the anti-social attitude covered, and I have the intelligence, so yes, I think so." Bakura sneered. He wasn't anti-social; he just wasn't part of the Friendship Cult; these mortals were beneath him anyway.

"The same intelligence that got you held back a year," he taunted his host.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that you possessing me during school was what got me held back," he returned calmly. Bakura hated losing an argument, but if his host was back to normal, he could live with it- or be dead with it, anyway.

"Are you alright?" He wanted to know.

"After a spot of sadism, I mean teaching, I should be. I shouldn't really care so much about his opinions really. I don't need him to watch out for me. I've got you."

"And Kyoko. Let's go torture the gaki-ma!"

"We're teaching Mokuba, 'Kura-nii."

"That's what I said, isn't it?" He grinned at Ryou, waiting on the ego boost.

"Well, yes," Ryou admitted, entering the park where they were meeting Malik and Mokuba. It was definitely darker than it ought to be at 10:00 A.M. and generally deserted. The desertion almost certainly had to do with the clouds overhead. The darkness, well, since Malik was waving the Rod's blade threateningly in his direction, he suspected it had something to do with the fact that he'd made Malik and Mokuba wait. Again. A smile crept onto his face as he realized he was beginning to agree with the Ring-Spirit; irritating everyone and anyone was amusing.

ABOVE DOMINO CITY, JAPAN

Forge's presence had proved to be fortuitous. Not that Logan would ever admit it. He'd created a portable computer-thing that could scan for the energy signatures of the three prospective students, which he'd downloaded from Cerebro's memory banks. The facts that Cerebro could record energy signatures and had memory banks were also Forge innovations. The machine still needed Jean to work it, but it meant that the team did **not** waste half the day running around the city looking for them. That was a definite improvement in recruitment missions.

"I've got them, Logan. All three of them are in that park over there. No one else seems to be in the park," Jean informed the plane from her seat.

"Can you blame them? Lousy weather we're having today. Keep 'em in your sights, Red. I'm putting the jet in stealth mode and preparin' to land," Logan replied. Storm was glaring at him for the comments about the weather. Logan didn't even seem to register the glare, outwardly. Inwardly, on the other hand: The score is Logan: 1, 'Roro: 0. "Alright, kiddies, we're ready to land. Squirt, try to keep from going all over the compartment." Jamie was too nervous about his first mission to even protest. The plane touched down with no trouble, although Scott did trip heading for the ramp. Of course that may or may not have had something to do with Rogue's foot.

Once Scott had gotten his face off the floor, Forge had untangled Jean from the Tracer, and Jamie had successfully disembarked without replicating himself, Storm turned to Jean for guidance.

"Can you lead us to them, Jean?" she commanded. Storm had never really gotten out of the habit of commanding. Her ability to form every sentence as a command regardless of the actual voice of the sentence probably stemmed from her time as a goddess. Jean closed her eyes and placed her fingers on her temples, scanning the park for minds. On the opposite side of the park, she sensed an unusual mind and tried to delve into it.

"AHHHH!" she screamed as the pain of hitting a wall of sharpened shadows raced through her mind. Bakura's mental defenses had improved significantly since Marik had pulled the dirty trick of using the Rod on Ryou. Scott caught her as her knees gave out. Her hands slammed the ground as she yanked them away from her temples.

"Jean, what happened? Did they hurt you?" Scott, a bit wild-eyed, not that anyone could tell, demanded.

"I tried to probe one of their minds. His defenses were incredibly strong. I couldn't get through," she replied shakily. Luckily for her, Bakura hadn't actually felt the probe. The shadow-stakes were his passive defense. Storm turned to the other tracker of the group.

"Logan?"

"This is a public place, Storm. There's a thousand human scents, an' I never met these kids. The rain don't make it any easier. We'll have to find these kids the old-fashioned way." He faced the group. "We'll pair up for a search. Rogue with Multiple, Storm with Forge, and Cyclops with Jean. I'll go alone. Red, can you give us a general area?"

"The one I sensed was on the other side of the park," Jean answered, getting to her feet.

"Figures. Get going, people." The group split up, heading toward the other side of the park. After the others were out of sight, Rogue shoved Jamie lightly causing Multiple to multiply.

"Ow. Rogue, what was that for?"

"Don't ya wanna find 'em first, Jamie? The more on our team there are, the better chance we have, 'specially with Jeannie out of commission. Wanna make it a race, Squirt?" Jamie grinned and walked into a tree, ending up with nine other Jamies. They spread out quickly, searching for any sign of the mysterious mutants. Rogue smirked. Eat your heart out, Team Perfect.

Wolverine was following a very simple search pattern. Something in this park was making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Therefore, ignoring the instinctive, animalistic part of his brain, he headed toward the source of that feeling. Something in the park was dangerous. The new mutants were the only other things in this park.

Scott and Jean's search pattern was even simpler. They'd walk about five feet. Scott would turn to Jean and say something stupid, such as, "Are you sure you're alright, Jean?" She huffs. Then she storms another five feet.

"I'm **fine**, Scott! I'm not going to break!" she snaps at him. He catches up to her.

"Sorry, Jean. You just scared me when you fell earlier. I'm just worried about you," he apologizes with his head down. Her glare softens.

"I can take care of myself, Scott, but it's sweet of you to worry." He meets her eyes and smiles. They kiss. They walk about five feet. The whole scene repeats. They're not making very much progress.

Meanwhile, Forge is definitively proving to Storm that it's completely unreasonable to expect all Native Americans to know how to move in the woods. It's simply asking too much of a techno geek Step. Crackle. Step. Crunch. Step. CRACK! Forge isn't too worried. Most of the noise he's making is covered up by the wind Storm's generating to keep flying. Step. Crackle. WHOOOSH. Step. WHOOOSH. Crunch. WHOOOSH. Step. CRACK!

"What was that?" Mokuba demanded, whirling around and taking a couple of steps toward Malik and Bakura. His hand immediately sought out his duel deck. His first thought was that Seto's paranoia was rubbing off, but a quick glance at the other two proved that they'd heard. Their knives were out.

"Good to see your instincts are improving, Mokuba. Those cards are going to be your best weapon." Malik purposely kept his tone light, so as not to tip off the idiots trying to sneak up on a trio of thieves. "It's not your brother?" he asked Mokuba under his breath. The kid shook his head.

"If it was Oniisan, he would be screaming at you two already. Besides, if any of his spies were that incompetent, they'd have been fired by now." Malik suppressed a snicker. That was probably true. Kaiba demanded impossible standards from his staff. The only reason he got away with it was because he actually kept his own impossible standards.

"Keep talking," Bakura ordered. "Distract them. I'll circle around." He fished out his wallet and pulled several blank cards from the billfold. Malik smirked while Mokuba shuddered, but both nodded. Malik chose the easiest way to kick off a distraction.

"I don't see why Kaiba wouldn't hire incompetents. He is one, after all," he taunted. Mokuba glared. Malik would choose trashing Seto as a distraction.

"Don't talk about Oniisan! You're just jealous because he's so successful!" he retorted, purposefully sounding considerably more childish than normal. Malik responded with a raised eyebrow.

"If he's so successful, why is the Pharaoh still King of Games? I hear your brother's never won a single duel against him." Mokuba flushed.

"Neither have you! At least Seto-nii didn't have to resort to using Jounouchi to duel for him. He's never been afraid to face Yugi-kun," he countered. Bakura slipped into the shadow of the trees. The only better distraction he could think of would be Kaiba and the Pharaoh. Malik and Mokuba would probably stoop to scuffling after about three more rounds of insults. That was more than enough time for him to find and neutralize their spies.

"Maybe we should find out what they want before the random soul-sealing, 'Kura-nii?" Ryou suggested. It was worth a try.

"They're spying on us, fool. Whatever they want won't be good!" the Tomb Robber growled back. "We'll render them docile, drag their bodies back to Malik, and then we'll find out what they want." Ryou rolled transparent eyes. He should have known that simply asking was beyond his yami.

"Just don't make it painful, please." Silence. "Parasite, don't." More silence. "Bakura!"

"Fine. I don't see why you're wasting mercy on spies, but it might be harder for Malik to command them if they're screaming," he aquiesced.

"Thank you, Kura-nii."

"Quiet. We're getting close." Bakura drew the shadows closer to him as he moved forward for a better vantage point. Behind, Ryou shook his head neglecting to point out to the thief that only other shadow mages could hear him in this state. Bakura frowned, seeing them. These people were too distinctive to be spies. They wore of all things black spandex, and the silver-haired black woman wore a cape. No wonder he'd heard them. They were whispering. He gave Ryou control of their body and took advantage of his immaterial form to eavesdrop.

"Do you think that's them?" Forge whispered to Storm, both unaware of the thieves turned spy. Bakura scowled. So the spies were looking for him and the others. Ryou frowned in turn, wondering why they were speaking English.

"I'm not sure, Forge. There's supposed to be three of them," she whispered back, watching as the younger boy lunged at the blonde. Bakura resisted the urge to bang his head against the nearest tree. He'd just go through it anyway. Were these people really that stupid? The simplest way to hide was to change the number of people being observed. The best disguise for a man on the run was always a girl. And what kind of a name was Forge anyway?

"The name of a smith, maybe?" Ryou ventured mentally.

"Hardly. The Smith's name is Sajirek," Bakura shot back automatically.

"Who?!" Ryou exclaimed, startled. Bakura wasn't much better.

"I've no idea. Later. They're talking."

"It's got to be them, Storm. Jean said there was no one else in the park," Forge decided.

"Then where's the other one? Is he invisible?" Storm retorted.

"Yes," Bakura and Ryou muttered.

"Let's wait. Maybe the third one just got a call from nature, you know. Or maybe—" The thieves couldn't resist.

"Or maybe he's right here, listening to your every word," Ryou said, soft and sinister. Bakura took over then, spiking their hair, shadowing their face, and coloring their eyes blood-crimson. He gave the man no chance to react, swiftly sealing his soul into one of the blank cards. Anyone stupid enough to wear a cloak in the woods while spying couldn't be much of a threat. He quickly rethought this assumption as a gale-force wind threw him into a tree on the opposite side of the clearing.

Storm stood in shock and guilt. She hadn't intended to throw the child, but what had he done to Forge? The inventor's eyes were empty, and while she felt guilty about it, she was extremely glad that she'd thrown the child where she could see him and his friends. She didn't know what to expect next. She certainly didn't expect the powerful hands of THUNDER OF RULER popping out of the ground behind her and dragging her into the clearing, courtesy of Mokkuba. Malik pulled the groggy Bakura to his feet.

"Bitch," the thief snarled, seizing her soul and slamming it into the playing card with a vicious strength. On the cards, Forge merely looked startled. Storm looked Agonized.

"Bakura!" Ryou protested.

"She hurt you, Ryou," Malik interjected. "What did you expect him to do? Just be happy he didn't have time for a game. Pull the guy out, Bakura. Let's see what they're up to."

"We already know that- no good. They were looking for us, and unless throwing people into trees is some new American handshake-"

"They're American? What would American's want from us?" wondered Mokuba.

"Blood?" Bakura offered, feeling his scalp.

"You startled her. I don't know if you've noticed, Kura-nii, but you frighten people," Ryou said quietly.

"So that makes it alright for her to hurt you-us? Shew threw us with some weird wind power. Frightened fighters go for their best weapon. She knew what she was doing," Bakura asserted.

"I'm neither excusing her nor accusing you. I'm just not sure she deserves quite as much pain as you're putting her through. We still don't know their intentions."

"Well if one of you guys would pull this guy back into his body, we could find out," Malik intervened a little testily. Bakura complied with a thought, then returned to glaring at the soulless body of…Storm, that was it. What was with these people's names?!

Mokuba and Malik took up positions facing the awakening Forge. The look was a bit disturbing.

"You ask the questions, brat. I don't have any English. I'll just make him answer you," Malik instructed leaning lazily against a tree, but keeping a firm grip on the rod in his hand. Mokuba grinned and nodded.

Then scowling, "What's your name, suspect?" Ryou rolled his eyes behind Mokuba's back. The younger Kaiba watched way too much TV.

"Forge."

"What's your real name? And I'm warning you, I can make it go bad for you." Detective Kaiba demanded.

"Nimrod Runs With Scissors." Mokuba gaped. Bakura and Ryou burst out laughing. Malik stared at them. The two halves didn't normally find the same things funny.

"What did he say?" he demanded crossly. Bakura was too busy laughing. Ryou choked out a translation.

"His name is Fool Runs With Scissors," he wheezed.

"I can see why he goes by Forge," Malik managed, before he too degenerated into hilarity. Poor Forge. When they finally got control of their amusement, the interrogation continued.

"What are you doing here, mister?" Mokuba asked cheerily, his mirth demoting him from Sam Spade to Conan.

"Looking for you."

"Why were you looking for us?" he amended.

"To recruit you." Malik and Bakura abruptly stopped smiling. So did Ryou. Recruit was not a good word.

"What were you recruiting us for?" Mokuba inquired intently. Forge opened his mouth to answer, and was promptly bowled over by a Jamie. The rest of them, along with their zookeeper, Rogue, weren't fare behind. Ryou promptly stole control to keep his dark half from doing anything Ryou might later regret.

"Sorry Forge. I tripped. Rogue wanted me to hurry, and-" he trailed off, seeing the other three for the first time, "Oh, you guys must be the new students. Hi! I'm Jamie- er, Multiple. This is my zookeeper, -"

"Watashi wa Rogue desu," she introduced herself in their language, warily. "Who are you three, and what did you do to Storm and Forge?" she asked, eyes narrowed and body tensed for a fight. She wasn't going to pick a fight with these three without knowing what they were capable of. Storm's unconscious state _might_ be a misunderstanding. Probably was, since she could see blood on the albino's head. Who would know better than her about drastic misunderstandings? That didn't mean she was dropping her guard either. She nodded, rather than bow. The trio of troublemakers exchanged looks. Ryou chose to play along.

"Watashi wa Bakura Ryou desu. I'm afraid tht when we found them spying on us, we… overreacted. Your friend Forge will be fine. When we startled your friend Storm, she threw us into a tree with an odd wind. We defended ourselves. May I ask what Americans are doing in Domino?" That wasn't anything like the whole story, Rogue knew. It was a leading half-answer, a bargaining answer. She knew the game, this for that. They didn't trust her anymore than she trusted them, and she was bargaining at a disadvantage. What had Storm been thinking?

"We're mutants. People with unnatural powers, same as y'all," she began, switching back into English. She wanted no misunderstandings and at least one of them spoke English. Forge certainly didn't know Japanese. Besides, the albino knew this game too well. If the English-speaker was one of the others, it might level the field. To her disappointment, he answered her in distinctly British English.

"What makes you think we're mutants?"

"Normals would have a little more trouble knocking out someone who can fly. 'Sides, if ya weren't we wouldn't be here." Behind the albino, the brat was quietly translating for the blonde. She made a mental note of that. It could be useful.

"You didn't answer my question," Ryou prompted mildly. Sharp brown eyes searched her features for a tell.

"Y'all interrupted me. We were here looking fo' ya. We're the X-Men, teachers and students at a school that tries to help people like us learn how ta control our powers. Today was just s'posed ta be a meet an' greet sales pitch. No one was s'posed ta get hurt." Bakura surged to the fore, insulted by the implication that he needed help.

"I know how to control my powers. If this is a sales pitch, why were they spying on us? And your Japanese is atrocious!" he accused.

"I know you know how. That's one of the reasons we're here. You two," she motioned at the albino and the blond, "are the only young mutants the Prof's evah heard of who learned it all on their own. He wants y'all to come because he thinks ya can help the rest of us. By the by, it ain't my Japanese, it's mah accent. And they were spying on ya 'cause their idiots." Rogue easily countered all their remarks. "Now what the hell didja do ta Storm an' Forge?"

"She did answer all our questions, Bakura," Ryou pointed out. Malik and Mokuba were content to let the most paranoid person in the group decide.

"We never shook," Bakura responded nastily. "If we tell her what we did, we'll give her an advantage. She'll know what we can do." Ryou shook his head. Normally his yami was a better strategist than this.

"She can't guard against it. Either the knowledge will intimidate her or give her a false sense of security, and I never said we had to tell her about Mokuba."

"You want to go to that stupid school don't you? Have you forgotten we aren't actually mutants?"

"I take it you don't want to see America then? They think we're mutants, and she's obviously a fighter. It would be interesting to find out what they could teach us. Think about it, 'Kura. No Pharaoh, No Kaiba, No Anzu. New cops to traumatize," he cajoled, appealing to his yami's dislikes and sense of mischief. In all truth, he was curious. He trusted these people only barely more than Bakura did, but Domino was a bit oppressing right now. There was only so much even he could stand of Anzu. It had been nearly a year since Battle City, yet Domino was no longer a haven. Not for him anyway. It was no hard thing for the thief king to follow the train of his host's thoughts. Remembering that morning's occurrence, it occurred to him that a 'vacation' might not be a bad idea. He wasn't going to give in easily, though.

"**If** Malik and the brat agree and are allowed to go, **if** I get full control during fights, and **if **you stop complaining when I steal stuff, we can go. You might as well tell her what we did, while you're at it." Ryou nodded and turned back to Rogue. The only issue would be getting Isis and Kaiba to agree.

"I have the power to trap souls. I trapped Storm's soul in a playing card. Malik has the power to control minds. He forced Forge to answer our questions and maintains control of him now. If you can keep them from attacking us, we'll release them. Also, we would like to know your powers, and how many people are here looking for us.

"Sounds fair. Ah can do all that." She stripped off her glove and approached Storm. "Apologies in advance, Storm. It's the only way he'll let ya out. Go ahead, Bakura-san." Ryou returned Storm's soul to her body, being considerably gentler than Bakura had been tearing it out. The second life returned to Storm's eyes, Rogue touched her, sending the weather-witch back into unconsiousness. Lightning briefly crackled around her hands and silver-white streaks appeared in her hair.

"That's my power," she told the shadow mages. "I steal others' powers and energy whenever I touch 'em." She moved to Forge and touched him the second Malik freed him. As the inventor lapsed into a mini-coma, Rogue stared down Ryou. "I'll answer the rest of your questions after ya tell me what the kid's power is." Mokuba heard, and being thirteen and a show-off, promptly drew a monster from his deck.

"I summon CELTIC GUARDIAN in defense mode!" he yelled, enthusiastically. He left the paranoia to experts like his brother and his two sensei.

"So ya can bring pictures to life, huh?" None of the mages bothered to correct her. "Multiple's power y'all already seen. Storm's a weather-witch. Forge's power has sumthin' ta do with technology. I don't understand it. Wolverine, my sensei, has super senses and adamantium claws. Cyclops shoots lasers from his eyes. Jean Grey's a telepath, which ya probably knew, seeing as she hurt herself tryin' one of y'all's shields. Ya wanna meet 'em?" Ryou turned around and explained the powers to Malik. Mokuba was excitedly explaining Duel Monsters to Rogue's tagalong.

"You want to go, Ryou? What about him?" Malik returned. Ryou glared at Malik, who had forgotten the girl spoke Japanese.

"Yes, and he'll be fine with it, Malik. Father has nothing to do with me anymore," he added to cover up Malik's reference to Bakura. "Will you go? Mokuba, do you want to go to America?"

"Are you kidding, Ryou? New territory is just what I need. Isis has got it into her head to find me a girlfriend again. I'll convince her. Kaiba's the one you need to worry about." Malik smirked. Mokuba, Ryou, and the Americans were going to have their work cut out for them convincing Kaiba to let the brat go. He thanked Ra the girl's 'Prof' hadn't sensed the Pharaoh and the Priest.

"I want to go Ryou-sensei," Mokuba agreed. "I'll convince Oniisan to let me. It might be easier if you two aren't there, though."

"You have a gift for understatement Mokuba-chan." Ryou turned back to Rogue. "We're willing to meet the rest of your team and consider your offer."

"Glad ta hear it," she told him, broadcasting a mental message to Jean. "They'll be here soon enough. Run along an' play with your new friend, Jamie."

"How much do you know about us?" Malik asked curiously.

"More than ya think an' less than I like. I know you're ages and names, though I've forgotten who's how old. Y'all told me your powers. I know the kid's older brother is a paranoid techno-freak an' that's about it," she divulged. Malik snickered. Ryou and Bakura had returned to having a mental argument; they weren't paying attention.

"That's certainly an accurate description of Kaiba. How did you figure that?" he wondered.

"The Professor's a telepath. He's got this computer that helps him find mutants like yahselves. He pulled the stuff about that techno-freak; Kaiba, ya called him?" Malik nodded. "From the kid's mind. He also pulled that you two had been teachin' him. He couldn't get into either of your minds," she added.

"That's good. My mind is a scary place," Malik joked bitterly with more truth than she would ever know. Rogue's answering smile was as bitter, little though she knew it. What she believed was a joke for him was truth for her as well. She envied him the protection of his shields. A growl sounds behind her. Her smile changes from bittersweet to genuine because now Wolverine is there. She may have never had a father, but she had Logan, and secretly she thought that was even better.

"Hey Wolverine. Ishtar-san, this is Wolverine-sensei. He's one of the teachers at our school. Wolverine, this is Ishtar Malik. The albino's Bakura Ryou and the kid over there with Jamie is Kaiba Mokuba. An' before ya ask,-" Rogue quickly summarized the events, finishing with, "The kid and Bakura-san speak English, Ishtar-san doesn't." Wolverine absorbed the information quickly, eyes darting from Rogue to Malik to Bakura and back to Rogue again in a wary cycle, wondering why Storm needed rescuing from these kids, noting how well Rogue already got along with them, and catching hints of a whispered one-sided argument from the white one's direction. Facing the blonde and noticing how his body automatically wanted to shift so he could see both the older boys at once, he sized Ishtar up.

"Rogue told you why we're here then?"

"Yes, Wolverine-san." Politeness was out-of-character for Malik, but then again, self-preservation wasn't. "So long as Mokuba's brother and my sister can be convinced, we would like to see your school."

"You don't need to be so polite, Blondie. I ain't gonna bite." Malik's face clearly showed his skepticism. It was Rogue's turn to snicker. Five minutes later, after much growling, snickering, and skepticism, Scott and Jean managed to stumble their way into the clearing. By all logic, they should have been first, since Jean was the team's telepath. However, it was plain as the lipstick on Scott's face that she'd been a bit distracted.

"Well, that's professional," Mokuba, the VP of Kaiba Corp., drawled. Malik and Bakura enthused by their protégé's offensive, evidence of their tutoring, smirked and joined in.

"I'm afraid these two aren't your employees, VP-san," Malik mock simpered. "Perhaps you could arrange for an evaluation missive to reach-" he turned to Rogue with a questioning look. She was too amused the look of consternation on Fearless Leader and Miss Perfect's faces to note the reference to Mokuba's position.

"Professor Charles Xavier," she supplied with a smirk of her own.

"-Professor Charles Xavier, concerning the on the clock behavioral standards of his subordinates." Bakura stared at him.

"Malik, where in Osiris's domain did you learn that many big words?" Ryou demanded. He was the studious one. Him! Not Malik!

"How am I supposed to rebut Kaiba's insults if I can't understand them in the first place?" the blonde defended.

"Insults are all that's needed to motivate you?" Ryou was incredulous. "If I'd known that before-"

Wolverine cut the mock session short by rushing across the clearing. The reason for this interruption was immediately evident. Storm was stirring, and the second she surfaced from the sinister shadows now in her subconscious, she screamed. Wolverine shuddered as her screams assaulted his sensitive hearing. Regardless of his own pain, he attempted to calm her down. Rogue, with a renewed wariness and a dubious respect in her eyes, turned to Ryou.

"Does ya power always have that effect?" she asked. Her own powers had given her a glimpse of darkness and fear; she hadn't touched Storm long enough for any thing else to be absorbed. Ryou's face was a picture of remorse, eyes mirroring Storm's pain as though each scream slashed at his soul. Mokuba, seeing this, quickly stepped in to spare him, deliberately returning the conversation to Japanese to limit his audience. Behind him Jamie moved over to check on Forge.

"Bakura's method of self-defence can be somewhat rough at times, Rogue-san," he explained quickly. Malik chimed in; he knew better than Mokuba how Bakura felt.

"Yeah, Ryou's normally the gentlest soul in Japan, but blood makes him crazy. Hurt him a little; he's a little dangerous. Make him bleed, and he's absolutely vicious. You can barely recognize him when he's like that. He goes into overcharged regret mode like this," he waved his hand toward Ryou, "when its all over." Rogue understood. That didn't mean she wasn't suspicious, but she understood. Humans, mutants and normals alike, were just upright, talking animals. Wounded animals lash out. Granted, Bakura's powers were a little more effective than say a cat's claws, but the motivations were similar.

The screams quieted, lessened, and ceased as Wolverine's efforts finally produced results. Nearby, Jamie was helping Forge sit up. Forge, unlike Storm, hadn't had a horrible experience in the shadows, and the Rod tended to automatically wipe memories of its use from its victims. His suffering was limited to temporary amnesia, actually a blessing since Malik had also taken his memory of the shadow realm, and a splitting headache. Jean and Scott stared at the scene trying to figure out what they'd missed. Wolverine never gave them the chance to ask

"Think you can walk, Forge?" He received an affirmative nod. "Red, take Forge and Storm back to the jet. Get him some aspirin and let her lay down a while. Cyclops, you, Rogue, Multiple, and I will go with these three to talk to their guardians and pack. Obviously, I need to keep you two split up on missions if I want you to do any work." Scott and Jean flushed. Jean levitated Storm who was conscious, but still somewhat debilitated. Forge got to his feet. As they walked off, Ryou started to call an apology after them, but Wolverine stopped him.

"Don't apologize until or unless you mean it, Whitey. She couldn't take it right now anyway. Let's go." Bakura turned away. Wolverine was right and Bakura wasn't going to let Ryou apologize anyway. The weather-witch had gotten exactly what she deserved.

Jamie whispered to Mokuba, "Why'd Storm scream when Forge didn't?"

"Forge didn't hurt Ryou," Mokuba responded. "Malik, did you drive your bike today?"

"Yeah, it's not like I have a car, and I'm nowhere near crazy enough to walk, why?"

"Do you mind coming with us to see Oniisan? I was going to call my driver, since the office, the museum, and Bakura's apartment are all in different parts of town. We can go to Bakura's apartment first, since it's closest, drop off your bike and then go to the office and the museum. I doubt these guys brought a car."

"I thought we'd decided it would be easier to convince Kaiba without me and Bakura there? Whatever. Sounds good. If he agrees first, it might be easier to convince Isis anyway," the Tomb Keeper decided.

"Ya own driver?" Rogue interjected, eyeing Mokuba oddly. The preteen shrugged her confusion off.

"Yeah, weren't you listening? My brother's CEO of Kaiba Corp. and as VP, I'm definitely entitled to my own limo." He grinned, flipping open his cell phone and hitting a speed dial number. "Mifune, pick me up in the park. East Side Entrance. I have six guests who will be coming with us, as well. Call the security office and let them know. Instruct them not to tell the CEO; I intend to surprise him. Thanks, Mifune. Ja ne." Since the entire conversation between Malik and Mokuba had taken place in Japanese, there may have been some small excuse for Scott not knowing what was going on. This excuse was canceled out by the fact that Rogue had been translating for Jamie.

"So how do we get to your house, kid?" the Fearless Leader asked. Mokuba chose to ignore him, mentally making a note to actually write that letter. Jamie answered for him.

"His limo's picking us up! Isn't that cool, Scott? I've never ridden in limo before!" Jamie was exuberant. Malik laughed, wishing he'd ever been that carefree.

"You'll really like Mokuba's then. It's got a PS3, an X-Box360, and a Wii hooked up to the backseat TV." Jamie's smile grew wide enough to split his face, and he was so busy drooling over Mokuba's limo that he didn't notice when he ran into Malik's bike, which caused several of him to rebound into Ryou.

"Sorry," he hesitated a moment trying to remember how Rogue had introduced him to Wolverine, "Bakura-san. Ryou forgave him easily, impressed by the courtesy. Malik climbed onto his bike and roared off to Ryou's apartment, popping a wheelie as he left the park. Seconds later they heard him screaming curses in Arabic and watched as a limo cruised into the park; its driver wearing a racing helmet and a smirk. Bakura handed him a five hundred yen coin when he got out to hold the door for Mokuba. Mokuba ignored the bribery in favor of getting himself a sprite. His limo's mini-bar was well stocked with pop and juice. The X-Men and Bakura followed the young VP in to the spacious limo.

"You pay the kid's driver to try and run your friend over?" Wolverine asked Bakura, flatly. "He smashed into my bike a couple of months back. Mifune didn't really need a reason anyway. He just needed an excuse," the spirit responded. Wolverine nodded. That was an excellent reason to pay someone to run someone else over.

"We could fit your bikes into the X-Jet if you and the Smart-Mouth want to bring them." Wolverine was too obsessed with his own bike to deny Malik and Bakura theirs.

"Thanks. I was going to ask Kaiba to ship it, but he would have gouged me extensively. Stupid money-grubber," he muttered the ephitet.

"I heard that Bakura!" Mokuba yelled, from his game console. Rogue and Jamie took advantage of his momentary distraction to kick him off the Starfox. Distraction is not good for your virtual Smash Bros. health. Soon after Mokuba won the round courtesy of a pair of Voltorbs and a Falcon Punch, they arrived at Bakura's apartment. Malik was waiting for them. He'd opted to use the Thiefs' bike as a shield rather than risk Mifune running over him. Bakura flipped him off. The Keeper clambered into the limo, picked up a console, and proceeded to get the crap beat out of Kirby as Mifune headed for the Kaiba Corp. executive parking lot.

KAIBA CORP. THE CEO'S SUITE

Ssschick. The one-way glass door slid open in response to Mokuba's passcode. He led the others into the suite's living room and motioned to the couches.

"Ryou, Malik, you know where the drinks are," he suggested. As expected, Ryou got up and Malik flipped him off. Mokuba headed towards the back of the suite, where Seto's study door was closed and locked, complete with Seto's "Get lost" sign. The sign actually read, "Bother me and I'll fire you," a very accurate threat. Mokuba ignored it. Oniisan would have a hard time firing him. He opened the door.

"You're fired," Seto said automatically, not even bothering to see who dared disturb him.

"No, I'm not, Oniisan!" Mokuba cheerfully replied. "Come on 'Niisan! There's some people I want you to meet!" he said, bouncing forward to lean his elbows on his brother's desk and look at him over his laptop.

"I'll meet your friends later, Mokuba. I have work to do." Mokuba grinned in a way that would have made Bakura and Malik proud, and slammed the laptop closed. Kaiba's reflexes had automatically drawn his fingers out of danger without consulting his workaholic brain. Mokuba took advantage of this to abscond to the living room with said beloved laptop. Seto banged his head against the desk as Mokuba took off with his laptop. "Not" Bang. "Again!" Bang . Realizing this wasn't getting his laptop back, the workaholic teenage super-genius left the security of his soundproofed office and stalked into the living room in order to brave Mokuba's friends and thereby retrieve his laptop. A flash of gold caused him to wish he hadn't.

"Ishtar, if you lay a finger on my laptop, you will leave this room via defenestration," he snapped, lunging forward to seize his precious away before it could go any nearer to the Egyptian. Only after he had successfully wrested it from Mokuba's treacherous grasp did he notice the room's other inhabitants.

"Can I get you a drink, Seto-kun?" Ryou asked politely, knowing perfectly well that politeness from him combined with the friendly suffix would annoy Kaiba more than a snarky comment.

"_No thank you_, I am allergic to strychnine," the CEO stalked over to the refrigerator and pulled out two Starbucks iced coffees. He then strode, highly irritated, to an open chair that allowed him to see everyone else in the room at once, or would as soon as the thief sat down. Ryou debated how long he could remain in the kitchen, behind _Seto-kun_, before Kaiba flung something, i.e. Malik, at him, despite the damage it would do to the CEO's kitchen. Bakura seized control and sat their body down.

"Which is more amusing, him throwing Malik at us, or him having to be polite to the mutants because Mokuba's here, hmm?" he asked his host.

"Use my appearance and be friendly and polite, Kura-nii. If he attacks while we're being the absolute souls of courtesy…" He trailed off leaving the rest to the Thief King's imagination. Bakura couldn't resist a suppressed snigger. Kaiba flipped him off British style. Ryou fixed their face into a slightly wider than polite smile, leaving Bakura free to slip into his soul room and laugh, thanking Ra he didn't need to breathe. Kaiba scowled in Ryou's general direction, traversing Malik and the visored male on the way.

"Introduce your _friends_, Mokuba," he commanded shortly. Something mischievous had obviously hijacked Mokuba's voice box.

"Ok, Niisan!" he chirped. "Niisan, this is Ryou-kun and Malik-kun and Jamie-kun."

"Mokuba!"

"You said to introduce my friends, oniisan," he defended, wide-eyed and innocent. Kaiba snorted.

"You're getting too old to manage innocent, otouto. Now," he enunciated slowly, "Tell me who these people are, what they are doing here, why they are wearing spandex, and why security disobeyed my direct instruction to keep the Egyptian riffraff out of the building."

"Hey!" Malik protested.

"Apologies, Ishtar, Was I accurate? It's just that you detract from the professional and profitable tone of the building." the CEO mocked. Malik pouted.

"Niisan, this is Wolverine-san, Rogue-san, Jamie-kun, and Scott. They want to talk to you about a school in America,"

"Is spandex the school uniform?" Kaiba interjected.

"Better than starch," Rogue shot back. It hadn't taken her long to realize that Kaiba thrived off insults. Besides, she refused to be intimidated by a sixteen year old, regardless of height and wealth. Kaiba fixed her with an inquisitive stare and a sarcastically raised eyebrow. When she didn't budge, he moved on.

"What school in America, why America, and why do only two of them have real names?" he posed, by acknowledging only Rogue's presence he controlled the alignment of power in the room. He consciously kept Wolverine and Scott in his peripheral vision, while giving Rogue his full attention. Mokuba understood the game Seto was playing best; he'd seen it done so many times before. If Rogue-san ceded authority to Wolverine-san or Scott, she'd lose the points she'd gained. If she answered him satisfactorially according to his demands, she'd cede power to Seto.

"Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters. That's where the school is. Rogue is mah real name. Jamie, why don't you tell Mr. Kaiba more about us? You did so well explaining it to Mokuba-kun." Rogue remembered these games. Mystique had been queen of them, and Rogue had absorbed the bitch twice now. Blue bitch had played them when Rogue lived at the Brotherhood House too. Kaiba had posed a challenge. She'd switched to English and given control to the youngest in the room. Kaiba lowered his eyebrow. That was not a move he had expected.

After soliciting reassuring nods from Rogue and Wolverine, Jamie explained, "Xavier's is a school for mutants, like us and like Mokuba and Malik and Ryou. Professor X sensed them with Cerebro, his giant mutant finding computer, and sent us to see if they wanted to come to our school. Wolverine is a code name. We use them on missions 'cause the American government doesn't like us too much. Mine's Multiple and Scott's is Cyclops and Rogue's is Rogue 'cause that's her name."

"The name's Logan," Wolverine added, knowing it was hard trust an alias.

"And I should believe this why?" Wolverine and Rogue both reached over and shoved Jamie, sending multiples all over Kaiba's living room.

"Rogue!" Jamie complained to his pseudo-sister; he was much too intimidated by Wolverine to complain about him.

"Jeannie ain't here, so you're power's easiest to demonstrate," she pointed out. Scott, feeling left out because most of the conversation had been in Japanese and feeling threatened both by Kaiba's youth, money, and intrinsic aura of power, and the fact that Rogue seemed to be taking his job, proceeded to do something stupid.

"Rogue, apologize to Jamie." Scott made no mention of Wolverine; even idiots have self-preservation instincts. "Seto, I assure you this kind of behavior is not normal or encouraged for members of our school. Rogue and Jamie aren't really representative of the X-Men. I'm Scott, team leader for the X-men and I'd really like to hope that Mokuba will do very well as a member of the team." Mokuba, who had been translating for Malik, since he'd seen Bakura wouldn't, glared at Scott. How dare he call Rogue-san and Jamie-kun unprofessional! He still had lipstick on. Ryou's eyes snapped to Seto whose fingers were tapping ominously on the chair's arm. Even Yugi wasn't foolish enough to be that familiar with Kaiba.2

"What did he say?" Malik demanded. He hadn't really been able to follow the conversation, even with Mokuba's translations, since Kaiba had insulted him. He'd been busy sulking. Seto, who'd been trying to decide the most insulting and effective means to put- he sneered- Scott in his place, seized the opportunity.

In precise, nigh accentless English, he ordered, "Don't bother translating this imbecile's incomprehensibilites, Mokuba. Even Ishtar possesses enough intelligence to be incapable of lowering his comprehension to that low an oratory level." Kaiba smiled a nasty shark smile, crossing the room to remove an odd looking device from a workstation drawer. He handed it to Malik, swiftly demonstrating its use.

"It's set to Japanese, Ishtar, but Arabic translation is an option." Malik turned the device on, setting it for Arabic as Kaiba had suggested.

"What is it?" Wolverine growled in English, suspicious as always.

"I can understand you!" Malik exclaimed, startled.

"It's the prototype of a new product one of our contractors developed. It translates spoken words almost instantaneously and transmits the translation to the diodes in the attachment, which broadcasts the message to the brain. I wasn't sure if it would work for you, Ishtar, but it seems there is something in your head." He ignored the token protest from the blonde and continued lecturing. "I assume you are some sort of telepath." Seto wasn't truly assuming. Nothing truly natural could have affected the mutt Jounouchi in such away to turn him against Mutou. It was comforting to know it was a mutation rather than the product of non-existent superstition.

"I can control people, and plant my thoughts in their brains," Malik confirmed unashamedly.

"Then the device should be able to sync with your thoughts and give you the English translation for your words on the screen. You will have to attempt pronunciation yourself. The translation software includes a dictionary since your brain seems incapable of retaining hippopotomonstrosesquipedalians."

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," Malik quipped. Seto raised an eyebrow as Ryou, Mokuba, Jamie, and Rogue burst out laughing. Bakura scowled transparently, not understanding the reference.

"It appears my floccinaucinihilipilification of you may have been premature. You might just make a fantastic lab rat, if you can overcome your unhealthy obsession with creepy American children's movies."

"Why thank you, Kaiba, but it is Rishid's obsession not mine." This sent Ryou and Mokuba out of their chairs.

"Whose Rishid and why is it so funny?" Jamie wondered.

"He's Malik's stepbrother and you'll understand when you meet him," Mokuba managed between giggles.

"What can you do Mokuba?" Seto asked. Mokuba winced mentally; his power might make Seto-niisan suspicious.

"I don't need a duel disk to bring the cards to life," he responded, hoping his brother wouldn't suddenly smell magic and refuse to let him go.

"Go and pack, Mokuba. I'll allow this." Mokuba whooped at the unexpected capitulation of his brother and dragged Jamie off to his room. Ryou looked at Seto, a bit puzzled.

"I'm surprised you're taking this so well, Kaiba. I thought you would be more skeptical and less willing to let Mokuba go," he noted.

"I am perfectly capable of believing the mutational properties of sapiens' DNA. I am hardly culpable in the mass schizophrenia or religion or the ubiquitous gullibility concerning the feasibility of abracadabra," the CEO replied, "and if anything happens to Mokuba, I will hold **you** personally responsible. So I do not have to worry about his safety, do I?" Seto had long since realized that Bakura was more dangerous than Malik. He did not know why this was; only that it was. Ryou met his gaze evenly.

"No Seto-san. You do not," Ryou began. "We'll take care of the brat," Bakura finished. Malik nodded his agreement. Mokuba and Jamie rushed back into the room carrying Mokuba's things.

"Ready, brat?" Wolverine asked. Receiving an affirmative reply, he produced paperwork and handed it to Seto. Seto sped through the paper work, which included the usual school forms and a waiver allowing Mokuba to participate in X-tracurricular activities. Seto scribbled a note on that one which read, "Only if Bakura goes with him."

Finally, he handed Mokuba a credit card and kicked them all out of his office.

"Now I can finally get back to work," he called after them. Mokuba laughed. His brother really was a workaholic.

"Ja ne, Oniisan!"

EN ROUTE TO BAYVILLE

With the exception of Isis startling Wolverine and nearly getting disemboweled, Rogue and Jamie's rather violently amused reaction to being introduced to Rishid, (If you met a six foot two, extremely muscled, tattooed twenty year old with an obsession with Disney movies, wouldn't you fall over laughing?) and Scott's sullen stupidity. The rest of the mission had gone well. Once the group had gotten back to the plane, Storm had taken a seat as far away from Bakura as she could, the Thief had smirked at her, Rogue had mocked Scott in front of Jean, Malik had hurt himself trying Forge's tracker, and Mokuba and Jamie had immediately started playing some game on their DSs, they'd taken off for Bayville with no real problems. Ryou was optimistic about the upcoming time in America, he had no way of knowing what was waiting for him at the Xavier Mansion. Even if he had known, what could one do to prepare for… The New Mutants. Dum dum dum.3

1.I suscribe to the Cathy-Bloom1 theory of Seto's starch-ware jackets.

2.In Japan and some other non-American countries, it is extremely rude to address someone you've just met by their first name. Mokuba's referral to Scott by first name earlier showed his utter lack of respect for the fearless leader.

3.Yes, I did resort to a cheesy ending and cheesier sound effects. You try and think like Seto Kaiba. It fries your brain! Well, that and MSU's ADS test.

AN: Thank you everyone for reading with special thanks to Crack4sure, whose quick review is responsible for the lengthy update of this chapter. I was so enthused by his/her review that I wrote the first six pages of this chapter in three hours. They weren't in my original outline. Very special thanks to gambitfan85, who in addition to putting me on favorites, pointed out a minor plothole which I will now take the trouble to clear up.

**I have three explanations for Rogue's ability to speak Japanese.**

**A.Mystique had a little more influence on her life than is canon for Evolution, and like the comics, Rogue had some instruction and shaping for the life Mystique had planned for her. In this case, martial arts lessons. Evidence in favor- snowmobiles. Evidence against- Rogue's power. **

**B.Rogue learned Japanese because she was bored and she needed a language Kurt and Kitty couldn't read so they would stop stealing her journal. Also she wanted to be able to understand some of the coolest rock music in existence. Maybe she watches anime. With this option, her teacher would have been books, library Language CDs, and Logan.**

**C.This was gambitfan85's suggestion, and probably the most plausible. Rogue absorbed the basics of the language from somebody, e.g. Logan. This is me expanding on it. She liked the language, and studied enough to keep it in her mind. She keeps her knowledge of the language fresh by listening to J-Rock and dubbing anime for Jamie. I don't know about you, but I can certainly see Rogue watching Death Note or Hellsing. I can also see her being a closet Shoujo fan.**

**Feel free to choose whichever explanation suits you best. Also, can anyone send me a scan or a description of Mephist the Infernal General? I know what he does; I just don't know what he looks like. I love the Yugioh characters, but I don't know too much about the cards.**

**Thank you for your attentions, and please, keep reading and writing me such inspirational little comments. Plot hints to anyone who catches both of this chapter's minor allusions.**


	3. Arrival

Future Dreams and Foregone Schemes  
By Twilight Dusk

Summary: When Mokuba tricked Bakura, Malik, and Ryou into giving him some lessons on shadow magic, they thought they only had to worry about Seto or the Pharaoh finding out. They certainly weren't expecting to show up on a computer in Bayville.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine. Kyoko is mine! So is Bakura and Ryou's nickname.

Age Guide:  
Angel, Psylocke-25  
Isis Ishtar- 24  
Gambit-22  
Colossus, Rishid Ishtar, Sage, (OC)^- 20  
Pyro, Avalanche, Ryou Bakura, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Kyoko Lore- 19 *Sort of Forge  
Rogue, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Boom-Boom, Malik Ishtar, Anzu, Otogi Ryuuji- 18  
Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Amanda Sefton, Blob, Toad, Iceman, Yugi Mutou- 17  
Magma, Sunspot, Jubilee, Seto Kaiba- 16  
Cannonball, Wolfsbane- 15  
Multiple, Mokuba Kaiba, X23- 13  
Prof. X, Magneto- 60+  
Storm, Hank, Forge*- 40+  
Mastermind-53  
Mystique, Logan, Sabretooth- Who Knows?

Chapter Warnings-

KurouXKyoko, Brits, JOTT, Scott-bashing (This won't go on forever, I promise. The boys are punks and Rogue's PMSing.) I have no idea whatsoever what an Arabic/Egyptian accent would sound like. Malik's accent therefore requires imaginary input from you readers. Also, I realized my timeline's even more screwed up than I originally thought, so we'll play this by ear. Eventually I'll point out where in the timeline we are.....maybe.

Japanese Translations-

Baka- stupid, in this case means Jounouchi

Niibaka- Idiot number 2

Shobaka- Idiot number 1

Please Review; flames will be used to cook Kurt's dinner.

I know it's short, but seeing as how I last updated a year and a half ago....

Ch.3- Dinnertimes

LONDON, ENGLAND

When describing Aldera Lane, visitors always began with the word beautiful. The semi-modest almost-mansions that lined it were pictures of tasteful elegance. Behind the cherry wood doors, idyllic tranquility, upright respectable families, and soft sonatas reigned, for the most part. Every rule needs its exception.

"IN THE WHITE ROOM WITH BLACK CURTAINS, NEAR THE STUDIO, I'LL WAIT IN THIS PLACE FOR LIZZY TO COME BACK WITH THE DAMN PINS!" Kyoko sang at the top of her mediocre voice, impatiently paraphrasing Cream, as she struggled to hold the dress in place until her roommate, best friend, and design partner could return with the pins so they could finish fitting the dress.

"You can keep waiting until Damnation, because **ALICIA** can't find where you put the bloody things!" Alicia put up with most of Kyoko's odd quirks, like the tendency to constantly quote sixties and seventies songs, but she would not tolerate those ridiculous rock and roll nicknames.

"They're in the false panel behind my door with the guns!" Alicia started.

"What did you put them in there for? Forget that! Why the 'ell do you have a secret panel full of guns? Found 'em."

"You **have** met my grandmother, haven't you?"

"It's the crazy old paranoid's doing, then? That explains it." Alicia handed Kyoko several pins and knelt to fasten the hem of their latest project.

"The lunatic is on the grass," Kyoko sung absently.

"I thought she was on the beach. You done yet?" Alicia stood up. Kyoko nodded and began struggling out of the dress, careful not to knock any of the pins loose, or snag the embroidery on her shorts. They managed to get the dress settled on the dummy and Alicia started stitching the hem just before the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it, Lizzy."

"Kyoko, wait-" Kyoko ignored her friend. It wasn't exactly polite to leave people waiting at the door too long, and she still hadn't figured out all of her grandmother's security systems yet. She was fairly certain she'd turned the doorknob tazer off, but she couldn't be completely sure. She flung the front door open with a hurried greeting.

"What can I do for you?" she asked cheerily. The poor boy who'd been conscripted for a messenger fainted. Alicia came up behind her, shaking her head sadly.

"You do realize you didn't put your shirt back on yet, Kyo?" Her friend's fierce blush answered the question.

"Go get dressed; I'll take care of him," she said. Still blushing furiously, Kyoko headed back to the dress room. A stand to the left of the door held a pitcher of water, cups, and a flask of brandy. Seconds later, a cup's worth of water splattered on the boy's face. He awoke instantly, keeping his eyes firmly shut and jerking his hands up to cover them. He peeked through his fingers and his lashes ready to close them again instantly if the wild, exotic, beautiful, half-clad woman was still there. The woman standing in the door way with a cup was still exotic and beautiful to his young eyes, but thankfully she wasn't half-clad and she seemed far too composed to be wild. She was definitely smirking at him though.

"Up you get, lad." She grabbed the lad, twelve or thirteen at a guess, and hauled him up by the wrist. "Come in." She handed him the brandy flask. "Quick sip for strength. I'll be getting you a real drink. You did have a shock. Sorry about that. Kyoko doesn't always think before she moves." She dragged his unresisting form to a chair. He stared at her almost blankly.

"Thank you, miss," he managed.

"Would you like a Coke or a cuppa?"

"Coke, please, miss."

"I'll get that for you then and you can tell me why you're here alright?" Alicia turned and sashayed from the room, laughing to herself. The boy was most likely head over heels for her already.

"It's a pity you're so desperate as to bask in the admiration of a preteen, Lizzy." Alicia ignored her. Sooner or later Kyoko would have to use her name and then the world would be a better place. "Ah, poor little Lizzy, lacking a love of her own, 'But I swear before the day is over you folks'll see some rain.'" Kyoko laughed, dodging the thrown ice cubes. "Take the lad his ice, Lizzy, and find out why he's here. Maybe he'll bring some rain for you." Kyoko smirked sadistically at the expression on Alicia's face. She had yet to figure out what song her nickname came from and the more Kyoko referenced it, the more Alicia wanted to kill her.

"Some day, Kyoko, you are going to get what's coming to you," Alicia half-threatened.

"Five billion and my own clothing line, right. Any day!" She quickly left the kitchen before Alicia could find something heavier or perhaps sharper to throw.

Alicia glared at Kyoko's quickly escaping form. Kyoko would be Kyoko, she supposed, but she wished devoutly that her friend's boyfriend would stop encouraging her.

"Here you are, lad," she chirped. "What brought you to us here, now?" The boy hastily swallowed the great swig he'd taken.

"Message for Miss Lore and Miss Singer. I do a bit of yard work for Miss Braddock. She gave me five pound to ride over with this," he explained. "Here you are, Miss?" he added pulling a fancy purple envelope from his jacket pocket. Alicia reached under the end table and removed its well-sharpened stiletto. The lad started at the sight of the gleaming blade. Alicia laughed.

"It's just a letter opener." The boy eyed Alicia warily. If that was a letter opener, he didn't want to know what she'd call a knife, and he'd thought she was the normal one. Alicia quickly skimmed through the enclosed card.

"Lady Elisabeth Braddock requires the presence of Misses Kyoko Lore and Alicia Singer at her supper table this evening. Guests should be comfortably and gorgeously attired and accompanied by their design notebooks. Lady Braddock would like to discuss the possibility of a new style. Misses Lore and Singer ought to arrive promptly ante septum. From the Desk of Elisabeth Braddock, Supermodel and Super Personality." Alicia shook her head, fighting a smile. Betsy was hardly a lady. She was, however, Kyoko and Alicia's best chance of breaking into the industry, as well as fun incarnate and a good friend.

"I got bowled over for a dinner party!" the boy burst out indignantly, despite having conveniently forgotten that he'd fainted.

"No, you got flashed and five pound. Go on and spend it, lad. We'll get Betsy back for you. I promise," Kyoko assured the lad, waltzing into the room on heels as sharp as the letter opener. He gave her a frightened look and sped out of the house. His mum called Aldera Lane "the nicest, most respectable part of town." He knew better.

"And I'm feeling glad all over. Yes, I'm-a glad all over. Lily, I'm glad all over," Kyoko sang, speeding up the stairs to grab her sketchbooks. Alicia, similarly excited, didn't even bother to ask why Betsy was Lily, opting instead to head for her room to change. This could be it. Too bad about that kid.

THE X-HANGAR

Storm was the first one out of the jet and out of the hangar. A mere minute later, she was safely ensconced in her greenhouse with all that lovely distance between her and Bakura Ryou. He stretched lazily as he disembarked from the plane. It was good to be feared, no matter what some foolishly softhearted, guilt-stricken host thought. Speaking of whom…

"Are you _still_ brooding? They invited us here. That means they brought us upon themselves. I am not standing in for the friendship wench," the ancient thief lectured. Laughter echoed through the hangar as Ryou took over their body before Bakura could make them any more enemies. It was far easier to steal from people who wouldn't suspect you.

"Storm's fear is not funny. Laughing at other people's fear is not an attitude we want to see in the X-Men. I expect you to apologize to her. The X-Men show a respect for others. I don't care what kind of hoodlum you were in Japan, but here you will show some respect," Scott ranted at Ryou, who ignored him in favor of the mental image of Bakura dressed like Anzu. Behind the fearless leader, however, Mokuba and Malik were debating the best way to kill him.

"Respect, Scott, right," Rogue drawled. "Like the respect you showed for their culture while you were runnin' around usin' first names and patronizin' people. We ain't soldiers, O fearless leader. Ah mean I at least got a day before I started gettin' lectured. Even Lance got enough time to get in trouble first." The Goth glared. She was seriously starting to wonder why she'd ever liked Scott. Did he realize how much of an ass he was making himself out to be? Had already made himself out to be? Since Lance's brief time with the X-Men, the protective boy-scout Scott she liked had been overshadowed more and more by over-protective alpha male bluster. Any male who seemed to get along fine on their own authority, Lance, Gambit, and now Bakura and Ishtar became a threat to him.

Across the hangar, one well hidden blue German and one intangible valley girl high-fived. Well, her hand went through his at any rate.

"Rogue's like totally reaming Scott. He's gonna totally blow," she chattered excitedly.

"I don't know, Kitty." Kurt's voice was dubious. "Surely the Professor vill stop zem from fighting," he postulated, hoping for exactly the opposite. Kitty grinned. She couldn't wait to tell Lance about this.

"He totally would, Kurt, but I heard that he like, can't read the new kids' minds at all. Logan's totally the only teacher here, and he's, like, probably enjoying this as much as we are."

Scott reddened as Rogue's criticism continued. Didn't she understand these people couldn't be trusted? After what the white-haired one had done to Jean and Storm, why on earth was she defending them? And what was that about Avalanche? Hadn't he proven he couldn't be trusted? It wasn't the same as her situation at all. Bakura and Ishtar had hurt innocents his conscious insisted, conveniently ignoring the quiet voices of his conscience and his reason pointing out that Forge and Storm had been spying and that Storm had thrown Ryou into a tree. Jean's telepathic invasion attempt wasn't mentioned, since even his conscience couldn't cut through the clamor of his emotions shouting that Jean could do no wrong.

Of the three duelists, it was Malik who spoke first. He'd been translating what he wanted to say as Rogue spoke. Now he just had to try and pronounce it.

"Are you always this stupid?" Malik wondered, in somewhat mangled English. "Or are you looking for a fight? That's welcoming. Mind if I call you Jounouchi? Your shoes are untied," he finished with the complete non sequitur. Despite himself, Scott looked down.

"Idiot. You're wearing rubber boots," Bakura noted from behind, "and what we choose to do is no concern of yours. Relax, _Scott," _he added with a nasty, promising smile. "I promise we won't be the kind of- hoodlums, did you say?- that we were in Japan. Malik, don't be mean to the Baka."

"Won't ya?" Rogue asked, trying not to snicker at Bakura's sickly-sweet sarcasm. Malik gave her an angelic, butter-wouldn't-melt-in-his-mouth grin.

"Of course we won't. We'll be an entirely different kind. Mokuba-chan, what do you think of the nickname Jounouchi for Scott?" the Egyptian rattled off.

"Too long," the younger teen replied. "Niibaka suits him."

"So who's Shobaka then?" Rogue grinned. The three brushed past Scott's choleric countenance. Rogue and Jamie followed not far behind. Malik, Ryou, and Mokuba chorused the answer.

"Jounouchi."

"I don't trust them," Scott told Logan, Jean, and Forge as they left the hangar. "They're too…smooth. They're influencing Rogue somehow and-" Logan cut him off.

"The world ain't rosy, One Eye. Those kids and Stripes, they know that. You oughtta show him what it looks like without the goggles sometime, Red." He felt the presence of Professor X in his mind. //** We're back Chuck. //**

**//** **I'm glad to hear it, Logan. What do you think of our new students? Scott doesn't seem to like them much, I'm afraid.**//

//**They're rogues. 'S why she keeps jumpin' in for 'em. Those kids have eyes like war vets, 'specially Whitey. Cyke ain't used to people who don't let him lead. He ain't handling it too well, and those kids aren't about to gentle him. The Kaiba CEO kid got pissed as all hell when Cyke used his first name. The Japanese are **_**serious **_**about manners. Next time we leave the country the team gets a crash course in customs.**// Logan directed the professor to his memories of the mission. //**Better not try to 'read 'em either. They won't like it too well, bub.**//

//**I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Logan. I hope they will settle in soon. Their powers seem quite dangerous, and they seem to be very cautious about revealing them. I wonder what they've faced. Bring them to the dining hall. I've arranged for pizza. They can meet the others and then I'll talk to them. Oh, and do remind Kurt and Kitty to set the table.**// Logan's head snapped upwards as his nose caught the familiar scent of fur and brimstone. Sure enough, Kurt and Kitty were hiding just above the hangar's exit. They were reasonably well hidden today, but Kurt's eyes caught the light, and the metal behind Kitty looked heat-shimmered.

"Half-pint, Elf, go set the table if ya want any pizza."

"Piz-" Kurt bamfed them away mid-joyous cry. They reappeared three feet directly above Malik's head. The Egyptian's reflexes were well-honed courtesy of three years well spent annoying Kaiba and Bakura, not to mention Mokuba's homicidal driver. Therefore, he was not buried under two hundred pounds of mutant. Unfortunately, he still ended up unconscious and hurting.

~Bakura stands before her, shrouded in shadows. Purple and blue auras fade slowly from the air, but the darkness remains. He turns away from her with a cruel smirk.

"I thought I would not lose, but we have the same goal. Am I right?" The albino's voice was...frightening. Something in her shivered at the way the shadows seemed to curl around the odd ring pendant resting on his chest. She laughed, dropping her hands, but still warily clasping her weapon, ready to draw the knife if necessary. Dark, bloody rage flared somewhere in the back of her brain, tainting her laughter with immeasurable bitterness and cruelty.

"I seek the power of the gods and the death of the pharaoh. I've seen you helping him," she observes, somewhat suspicious of the sinister, shadowed teen before her. His smirk widens to a shark's grin and his blood-coloured eyes gleam.

"The fool has _befriended_ my host. I want all of them. When I've helped you achieve your goal, you'll give me yours." She wasn't sure whether that was a command or an offer, but it made her match his predatory smile.

"Agreed." Some part of her, a part that feels somehow separate, screams as he raises a knife and plunges it into his own arm. The rage is laughing. She simply nods as though it were expected.

"Sealed in blood."~

Someone grabs Rogue's covered arm and pulls her away from Malik sharply but cautiously, so as not to touch her himself. Her eyes snap open and she sees that it's Ryou's hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright? Rogue-san? Malik?" Ryou flinched at the slight horror in Rogue's eyes, wondering where it came from. The flinch turned into a startled grimace as her fingers closed around his left bicep, directly over the scar.

"Rogue, are you like totally okay? Sorry about that, new guy. Kurt, you like seriously need to think before you bamf!" Kitty scolded the fuzzy elf, as she, Kurt, and Scott leaned in close to peer at Rogue.

"Do you always talk at lightspeed?" Mokuba wanted to know, while kicking Malik lightly in the ribs to try and wake him up.

"**Get out of my face, all y'all, NOW!" **To Rogue's surprise, Scott, Kurt, and Kitty leapt back from her as though thrown; Ryou's half-hearted attempt to do the same failed to free him from her surprisingly strong grasp.

"She shouldn't- how is she doing that?" Bakura whispered, coming out of the ring. That was the Rod's power, not Malik's.

"Seriously Rogue, you're okay right? I mean you don't look so good," Kitty babbled from the wall.

"Ah- Ah'm fine," Rogue lies guided half by habit and half by instinct and half by a mind not her own. The answer was, is now, and ever shall be 'fine'. "**Kurt, stop apologizing to the unconscious body and take him- **_**carry**_** him to a couch or something."** What was that? Her voice sounded- she struggled for the right word- powerful. To her shock, Kurt, who generally grumbled when ordered, picked up the Egyptian gently and without a word heading straight for the rec room couch. She shrugs it off as guilt or apology and turns her head back to face Ryou, trying to reconcile what she saw with the sweet-looking man in front of her. She knew he was dangerous, but was he still the sinister psycho of her memory or...?

Surprisingly, it was Mokuba who made the connection between Rogue's power and her death grip on Ryou's arm.

"Rogue-san? Power isn't all you take, is it?" he asked quietly, moving carefully towards her and the still captive Ryou.

"No," she whispered, as her fingers finally slipped away from Ryou's Bakura-inflicted scar, "Sometimes, Ah get memories too." She slumped to the ground as Malik's psyche slid towards the back of her mind. His rage had exhausted her.

White Room by Cream

Lizzy and the Rainman by The Hollies

Brain Damage by Pink Floyd

Glad All Over by Dave Clark 5

Pictures of Lily by The Who

A/N: I have no idea how actual Japanese people feel about foreigners failing to show respect; I just needed Scott to be an idiot, largely because I promised myself I wouldn't bring Jounouchi into this fic and the brotherhood hasn't shown up yet.

Risk-Egyptian Style: Where there are dragon knights instead of cavalry, Blue Eyes instead of cannons and Kuribo instead of cannon fodder (infantry), where some of the cannon fodder has a mind of its own and sneaks around the board stabbing enemies, taking hostages, and stealing territory, not to mention the dice landing exactly the way somebody wants them to. And where opponents, for seemingly no reason at all make suicidal attacks such as sending two soldiers to attack a Blue Eyes. And where one person never gets attacked


End file.
